Homemade Stock

Sierra and I are Ina Garten fanatics.  Her show is like therapy to us; equal parts inspiration and relaxation.  We've tried her recipes on a few occasions (veal and pork meatballs was a good one) and we haven't been disappointed.  But I'm really watching less for the recipes than I am for her technique. 

Ina, along with other cooking authorities I've read about and respect, encourages people to make and use their own homemade stock.  I've tried it a number of times with mixed results.  It didn't come out bad, especially when compared to the canned stuff, but when Ina made her's (link) on TV, it looked almost like jello it was so rich.  Mine looked like chicken flavored water.  But then it occurred to me - her technique - when she made chicken stock, she used the whole bird, not just the bones.  Finally I was able to assemble a chicken stock worth the time and effort.  I have a feeling the second time around will yield results much the same.

The next day I made Onion Soup Les Halles from Tony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook.  I pulverized the onions - overly so - as opposed to "melting" them, so I wasn't entirely pleased with the result, but, despite the onions, the flavor of the soup was spot on.